Sen. Lindsey Graham on the Policy Nightmare if the US Pulls Out of Syria Now

Yesterday, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham appeared on Washington Watch with Tony Perkins, a national radio show which airs on more than 240 stations across the country and across Mississippi on the American Family Radio Network. On the show, Sen. Graham weighed in on President Trump’s recent remarks that the U.S. will soon be pulling its troops out of Syria.

Sen. Graham commented, “We have about 2,000 American troops helping the Arabs and the Kurds destroy what’s left of ISIS. If we left now I think the conditions for an ISIS comeback would be great. We’ve got them on the ropes, let’s push on the gas here and keep our eyes on the prize – which is to destroy ISIS.” Sen. Graham continued, “If we left, the vacuum would be filled by Russia and Iran. You’d be giving Syria to the Iranians, which is a nightmare for Israel.”

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, and host of Washington Watch, added, “I think people need to realize the Shiite Muslims that are aligned with Iran… they are trying to dominate and there is a lot of concern… Iran really does have a firm grip on Syria and if we pull out we leave it to the Russians and Iranians.”

One of the biggest complaints the GOP had against the administration of President Barack Obama was how he would casually make national security strategies public.   He would literally say when — and where — the US presence would change in the most dangerous parts of the world.  Discontinuing this dangerous practice was front and center of the campaign promises of the Republican Party in 2016.  It should be no surprise that Republican leaders are angry over the continuation of this practice by President Trump.